Joseph ebanzosa



Nov. '19, 1929. J. FRANZOSA CHAIR FOR CELLO PLAYERS Filed Sept. 10. 1928In venlon Patented l9,

JOSEPH FEA'NZOSA, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENN'SYLVAN IA CHAIR FOB, CELLOPLAYERS Application filed September 10, 1928.

My invention deals generally with furniture but more particularlyrelates to chairs.

Its object, stated in broad terms, is to provide a chair especiallyadapted for use by orchestral or other performers on the cello.

When sitting in an ordinary chair, the performer on this musicalinstrument is greatly handicapped by reason of the fact that he isobliged, while playing the instrument, to straddle it, but to do thishe. must move forwardly on the chair seat where he gets scant seatingfacilities and absolutely no support for his back. In consequence,during a somewhat lengthy performance or concert he usually acquires abackache and general weariness of his body; and while this is true ofexperienced players on the cello it applies with egual, or perhapsgreater force to pupils.

he correct posture of a performer re quires that he sit erect during agreater part ofthetime,for in this position he has a greater and moreskillful command of his instru ment; but he cannot, while seated on anordinary chair, draw the instrument toward him sufficiently, on accountof interference with the chair seat, so he must, himself, move to wardit, but in doing so thechair, to all intents and purposes, becomesnothing more so "than a r il, devoid of comfortable support beneath andat the back of the performer.

One of the specific objects of my invention is to provide a chair in thebottom or seat of which is a'de'pression or cut-away portion at itsfront edge into which the cello may be partially drawn so to beconveniently near the player while his back is in contact with the backof the chair. He thus has the full length of the chair bottom on whichto sit 40 and the chair back against which to rest his body.

Another object is to shorten one side of the seat in order that theplayer may withdraw his right leg somewhat, thereby being able to handlethe bow with which he plays the instrument, to better advantage,his leftleg meanwhile being extended at the side of the cello so as to morefirmly. hold it whileplaying.

And a further object provides for the shaping of the back eftho chairmore nearly Serial No. 304,861.

than does the ordinary chair. 'With his head erect, his chest thrownforwardly and his.

hips backwardly, the player assumes a posi tion best adapted to bringhis movements under perfect control. Furthermore, his efforts areattended with less fatigue and his performance naturally becomes morebrilliant than would otherwise be the case.

I have. illustrated, by the use of the accom panying drawing, thepreferred embodiment of my invention. I desire it to be understood,however, that the drawing is simply illustrative and the invention,therefore, susceptible of minor changes in structural details withoutdeparture from the meaning and intent thereof.

- In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective of the chair; Fig. 2 is a side elevationthereof, and Fig. 3 a plan view of the seat, or as commonly designated,the chair bottom.

Similar reference characters are employed to identify like parts in allviews of the drawing.

Referring to Fig. 1, 1 represents the legs of the chair, which, however,may be made in various designs other than as presented, as turneddowels.

The chair back which also is subject to deviation in design, except ashereinafter noted, comprises, generally, the upright side portions 2,back rail 8 and slats 4.

It will be observed that the back, immediately above the seat 5, iscurved at 2, rearwardly. This is for the purpose of conforming somewhatto the shape of the lower portion of the torso of the individual seatedin the chair; and so as to offer support to his back, the upper ends ofthe sides I 2 gradually sweep into substantially straight, verticalportions 2".

- The seat 5 is cut-away'at 6, leaving two forwardly extending sides, 5and 5 the former somewhat shorter than the latter.

While the player is performing on his instrument, he draws the latterinto this depression 6, his left leg above the knee having full lengthsupport on the extended portion 5 and contacting with the side of thecello to assist in firmly holding it in a correct position.

His right leg is slightly withdrawn, backwardly, and lowered, thisallowing him to depress the bow so as to conveniently reach the righthand strings of the cello without interference with his right knee,theshortening of the side 5 permitting the player to lower his right leg sothat the bow is gl rawn over it.

ihe instrumentalist 1s, therefore, very comfortably seated, but not onlythis, he has opportunity to rest his back against the chair back 2,except at such times as he may prefer to lean forwardly to execute somediflicult passage in his musical score.

Another advantage accruing from the use of this improved chairis theability of the player to retain a substantially constant sit tingposition throughout the execution of a musical composition.

I In many musical pieces there are certai periods of rest in which thecellist is idle.

Sitting in the ordinary chair he must slide back and forth, first toplay his instrument and then to rest against the chair back. This istedious for the player.

lln my chair the cellist can draw his irstrument toward the back of thechair, within the depression 6 sufficiently to allow him to remain in aneasy and comfortable body position without constantly shifting, firstahead and then back, he does with the conventional type 01" chair.

5 Having described the superior features and advantages of my improvedcellists chair, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is Achair comprisin seat-supporting legs,

a seat superimposed on said legs having sides 01"- relatively dii'lerentlengths, and a depression formed in said seat, between said sides,extending rearwardly to a point in a plane disposed backwardly of thefront end of the shorter of the two said sides.

In testimony whereof I a'ltix my signature JOSEPH rnanzosri.

